She opened her mouth to interrupt him. However, he didn’t let her talk.
“Much as I wanted to be your equal, I was a laborer in comparison to your father and brother. You knew from the outset that your family wouldn’t accept me with open arms. Believe me, I understood you were trying to protectmyfeelings by keeping us a secret. I didn’t think the situation would be any different when I came back. Still, I fully intended to do exactly that. Right up until this happened.” He gestured to his leg.
Rose found herself taking a step toward him.
“If I had returned,” Finn continued, “it would have been worse. You never would have let me actually claim you as my wife the way things stood, and honestly, Rose, I couldn’t bear the sneaking around, hiding how much I loved you.”
She took another step in his direction, wondering if her own cowardice had caused their current situation.
“I’m sorry you felt you weren’t good enough to be with me. I always thought you were. I was just afraid—”
“I know, love.” He offered her a small smile. “It doesn’t matter. When I was with you, I felt like a king.”
Rose smiled, watching as he reached out a long arm toward her, nearly touching her cheek before letting his hand fall.
“After the accident, with nothing else to offer you, I decided I needed to be like McKay or Curtis, so I studied and worked as quickly and as hard as I could, I promise you that. Always with the idea that I would come back to you a better man. One with a promising future.”
She shook her head at his reasoning. Even she had heard of Donald McKay and his record-setting clipper ships, though the other shipbuilder was unknown to her. In any case, she hadn’t needed abetterman — only Finn, just as he was.
“I took too long, Rose. For that I will be eternally sorry. As soon as I earned a degree in naval architecture, I booked passage on the first liner home.”
Home.“To Maine,” she reminded him. “Not to me.”
“To see my father, yes, and to get my thoughts in order. I knew what I faced here.”
Rose sighed. “You came back with what purpose?”
“Don’t you know?” This time, when Finn reached out his hand, he did touch her cheek. He stroked it lightly with the back of his fingers, sending tingling sensations coursing through her body. Then he started to pull her into an embrace.
“Take your hands off her,” William’s voice sounded harsh and very close.
